Needs From: Togetherhood

Completed in June 2023, the Southside Community Stormwater Project was a collaborative effort to address water quality issues and the needs of a marginalized community.

RiverLink partnered with residents of the Southside Community, Wildlands Engineering, and the Asheville Housing Authority to construct green stormwater infrastructure features that capture and filter runoff before it reaches Nasty Branch and the French Broad River and provide community amenities at Erskine Apartments.

In order to maintain the site and all of its features, we will be hosting monthly public volunteer events on the Third Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm.

We will meet at Herb Watts Park -  64 Erskine St, Asheville, NC 28801 at 10am.
There is on-street parking available along Livingston St. and Erskine St.

RiverLink will provide all necessary tools and equipment.

Closed-toed shoes are required and pants are recommended. We also recommend everyone bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them, but we will also provide gloves if needed.

Please contact volunteer@riverlink.org if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note that all volunteer events are weather dependent. We will communicate with those who have signed up if weather becomes an issue. I understand that participation in any RiverLink volunteer project may include situations and/or work with equipment that could pose a potential physical risk to those involved.

I understand that RiverLink staff will go over any potential hazards and best mitigation methods with volunteers before beginning any project. By completing the registration below I hereby release, discharge, hold harmless, and forever acquit RiverLink or any other local sponsors/partners, and their representatives/employees from any liability that may arise from my participation in the volunteer project.

Further, I assume all liability of any participants under that age of 18 for whom I am the parent/legal guardian/chaperone of. I agree to be respectful and inclusive of fellow volunteers and RiverLink staff. I consent to be included in photos or videos of this event for the purpose of social media use or marketing materials.

I understand that this waiver has no expiration date.

Karen Cragnolin Park (KCP) was purchased as a long-standing auto-crushing junkyard in 2006.

For almost two decades, RiverLink has invested in the property by removing concrete, healing the polluted soil, managing invasive plants, and creating a new park–one that showcases its context in mother nature and cultural history, tells its story of remediation, and honors RiverLink’s founder, Karen Cragnolin. Designed with flood resilience in mind, KCP performed beautifully during Hurricane Helene despite being under 20+ feet of water.

We continue to invest in the park’s resilience by

If you are interested in making an impact in the community and on the French Broad River, please join us for our recurring KCP volunteer events on the first Wednesday of every month, from 10am-12pm. Meet at KCP at 10am.

RiverLink will provide all necessary tools and equipment.

Closed-toed shoes are required and pants are recommended. We also recommend everyone bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them, but gloves will be provided if needed.

Please contact volunteer@riverlink.org if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note that all volunteer events are weather dependent. We will communicate with those who have signed up if weather becomes an issue. I understand that participation in any RiverLink volunteer project may include situations and/or work with equipment that could pose a potential physical risk to those involved.

I understand that RiverLink staff will go over any potential hazards and best mitigation methods with volunteers before beginning any project. By completing the registration below I hereby release, discharge, hold harmless, and forever acquit RiverLink or any other local sponsors/partners, and their representatives/employees from any liability that may arise from my participation in the volunteer project.

Further, I assume all liability of any participants under that age of 18 for whom I am the parent/legal guardian/chaperone of. I agree to be respectful and inclusive of fellow volunteers and RiverLink staff. I consent to be included in photos or videos of this event for the purpose of social media use or marketing materials.

I understand that this waiver has no expiration date.

Our Azalea Road property sits alongside the Swannanoa River and was completely transformed by Hurricane Helene. A majority of the trees, shrubs, and understory plants were scoured and washed away.

To protect the ecosystem diversity and begin the path to recovery for this site, we have planted native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers.

This volunteer event will build on that work by removing the non-native, invasive species that have begun to compete with our young plantings. We will work to remove them to return this site to a resilient, mature, native ecosystem that will protect the Swannanoa River.

Meeting Location:  Intersection of Azalea Road E. and Gash Farm Rd. Asheville, NC 28805.

RiverLink will provide all necessary tools and equipment. Closed-toed shoes are required and long pants are recommended.

We also recommend everyone bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them, but gloves will be provided if needed. We recommend wearing clothes that can get a little dirty, but we will NOT be getting in the rivers.

Please contact volunteer@riverlink.org if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note that all volunteer events are weather dependent. We will communicate with those who have signed up if weather becomes an issue. I understand that participation in any RiverLink volunteer project may include situations and/or work with equipment that could pose a potential physical risk to those involved.

I understand that RiverLink staff will go over any potential hazards and best mitigation methods with volunteers before beginning any project. By completing the registration below I hereby release, discharge, hold harmless, and forever acquit RiverLink or any other local sponsors/partners, and their representatives/employees from any liability that may arise from my participation in the volunteer project.

Further, I assume all liability of any participants under that age of 18 for whom I am the parent/legal guardian/chaperone of. I agree to be respectful and inclusive of fellow volunteers and RiverLink staff. I consent to be included in photos or videos of this event for the purpose of social media use or marketing materials.

I understand that this waiver has no expiration date.